BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Baseball lost to Bradley 5-2 on opening day at Nick Denes Field.
The Hilltoppers and Braves were even in the hitting category, but Bradley came through with a three-run seventh inning to make it a four-run game heading into the late stages of the contest.
"I mean it's 10 hits to 10 hits," said head coach Marc Rardin. "They got more two-out hits. They got more extra-base hits. They hit more balls forward. We hit more balls up and those are just easier plays. There aren't a lot of bad hops up there. We were just a little bit more of an easier out. They had some great two-out hits when they needed them, and we didn't get many of those."
Three of the four Hilltopper pitchers to take the mound made their WKU debut on opening day with junior Grant Burleson earning the starting nod. The right-hander fanned seven Braves hitters in 4.0 innings of work while only surrendering two runs (one earned) on three hits and zero walks.
"Obviously, not the outcome we wanted for game one, but it is game one," said Burleson. "We have two more this weekend to bounce back. Not a bad outing, but there are definitely some improvements to make."
Fifth-year senior Lane Diuguid relieved Burleson to start the fifth. The lefty tallied 2.0 frames and notched four strikeouts while only allowing a hit and a walk. Senior Cory Bosecker and freshman Drew Whalen came out of the bullpen for the final 3.0 innings. Bosecker allowed three runs (all earned) on four hits and one walk while Whalen struck out two and allowed two hits.
Offensively, WKU only produced two runs on 10 hits and one walk. Junior Zayd Brannigan put the Tops on the board in the bottom of the second with a sacrifice fly to score senior Jaylin Rae after a triple of his own set him up in scoring position. In the bottom of the eighth, junior Ethan Lizama connected for an RBI single to score junior Blake Cavill to cut the Braves lead to 5-2. WKU loaded the bases in bottom of the ninth, but failed to plate any more runs.
UP NEXT
The Hilltoppers will continue their series with Bradley at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Nick Denes Field.
How to follow WKU Baseball: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Baseball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKU_Baseball on Twitter and @WKUBaseball Instagram.
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